Saline County attorney flags rural attorney shortage; proposes intern and scholarship strategies

County Attorney John Reynolds told the commission on Feb. 17 that rural counties across western Kansas face an ongoing shortage of attorneys and that neighboring counties have raised starting pay to recruit candidates. He said McPherson County begins entry-level attorneys at about $115,000 and Ellis County at about $109,000, figures he presented as context for recruitment pressure.

Reynolds proposed local measures to address staffing, including a summer intern program to build a pipeline and discussion of tuition support for recruits who commit to rural service. He said the approach used elsewhere combines modest intern stipends and multi-month evaluation windows that sometimes yield hires. During the meeting commissioners questioned cost and feasibility; Reynolds and commissioners discussed the budgetary scale and agreed staff should return with a concrete budget request. At the meeting participants characterized the intern budget in the low tens of thousands of dollars rather than the large figure that appeared earlier in the packet; Reynolds described the program as a "minimal" investment to develop candidates.

Reynolds also described workload pressure: felony caseloads typically range between about 250 and 300 felony matters per attorney, with COVID-related backlogs and recent turnover contributing to strain. He said the County District Attorneys Association is considering structural changes at the state level (district vs. county model) as a response to scarcity.

Next steps: Reynolds will present a budget request for intern funding and recruitment strategies during the county budget process.